Dueling Pianos

Around the same time last year, our family was approached by two different parties looking to unload their lonely, un-played pianos. What were the odds--especially since Piano (singular) topped my It's-Too-Expensive-but-I'd-Really-Love-One Wish List. PianoA belonged to our landlords, purchased at an auction in the hopes that one of their grandchildren would take up lessons. Never happened. They weren't technically giving their piano away, they just wanted it in a home where it would be played. PianoB belonged to the Delurys, good friends of my parents. They were planning a living room renovation and were deciding whether or not to depart with their beloved piano--for good.  Theirs, however, was located in their home in Roseville, 80 miles away. We decided, in the end, to become the temporary custodians of PianoA, since we only had to roll it down the driveway to get it to our house--and since the Delurys weren't quite ready to give up their piano...

...until this summer. They asked us again if we were interested and, well, it was too hard to pass up an opportunity to have a piano of our own. We rented a truck, drove up to hot Roseville, and had a lovely visit with Jane and John. A neighbor graciously helped Mark load the piano in the truck.

This little spinet is a beauty. It plays beautifully and looks wonderful in our living room. Thank you Delurys for such a generous gift! (Isabella was fascinated by the hammers hitting the strings to make sound.)

When I told our landlords that we were ready to give back their piano for a chance to have one of our own, they told me that they really didn't want theirs back. Hmmm. Quite the conundrum.

What to do with two pianos? In a strange, twisty kind of  pay-it-forward act of kindness, and upon our landlords' request, we were able to find someone and give them...a free piano. Now the two lonely, un-played pianos are lonely and un-played no more!

On the way back from picking up the Delury's piano, we stopped at the Stephens for a pool party play date. Matthew and Leo were a little unsure of each other in the beginning, until they realized how much they had in common: hair, soft skin, drool, fun toys, etc, etc.